Raipur: Famous Traditional medicine doctor Hemchand Manjhi on Monday said he would give up his Padma Shri award after receiving threats from Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. He has said he will stop treating patients due to the ongoing threats.
Manjhi (popularly known as Vaidyaraj) The 72-year-old traditional medicine practitioner was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour, last month.
The pamphlet also carried a photograph of Manjhi receiving the Padma Shri award from President Draupadi Murmu.
The Naxalites allege that Majhi helped set up the Amdai Gati iron ore project in Narayanpur’s Chotedongar area and received huge bribes, charges he has denied in the past.
The Naxalites had earlier made similar allegations against Manjhi and threatened him with dire consequences.
Manjhi, in an interview with PTI on Monday, again denied the charges and said he had already made it clear to the villagers that he had no connection with the iron ore mine.
He said that after discussing it with his family, he had decided to give up his Padma Shri award and stop practising traditional medicine.
“I am returning my Padma Shri award. The Maoists are telling the story of how I got this award from the President. I did not demand the award as I got it for my services to the nation when I was not even 20 years old. I prescribe Jad Booti (herbal medicine) for various ailments, especially cancer,” he said.
“Earlier, they (Naxalites) killed my nephew Komal Manjhi on false charges. My family is living under the shadow of threat,” he said.
Manjhi’s nephew Komal Manjhi, accused of acting as an agent for the Amdai Ghati iron ore mine project and making huge amounts of money, was killed by Naxalites at Chotedongar, around 45 km from Narayanpur district headquarters, on December 9 last year.
Police then took Hemchand Manjhi to Narayanpur town, where he is staying with his family in a rented house under the protection of three security guards.
“We were allotted a house by the Narayanpur administration but it did not have any amenities like boundary wall or running water so we have decided to live in a rented house. We will appeal to the administration to provide us a proper house,” he said, according to a PTI report.
Jayaswal Neko Industries Ltd has been allotted the Amdai Ghati iron ore mine and the Naxalites have been opposing the project for long.
